


Sleepless

by viola_rae10



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: F/M, M/M, Matthias is still here tho, Multi, Or rather lack thereof, and so is inej, it happens SOMETIME, kaz is kind of an insomniac, sleeby, stargazing bis, whatever lmao, where this takes place on the timeline for soc/ck is pretty vague tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 06:19:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17913422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viola_rae10/pseuds/viola_rae10
Summary: Despite the late, or early, rather, hour in the day, Kaz was awake. To calm his never-resting mind, he decides to wander around the Slat and check up on his associates.Based off of a personal headcanon that I have for our favorite edgy boy.





	Sleepless

Despite the late, or early, rather, hour in the day, Kaz was awake.

It wasn’t uncommon. Throughout the Dregs, he was known to stay up for long hours into the night. More often than not it was only to do paperwork. Being a boss was a lot more paperwork than he had liked, but it made everything work. But it was also tiring. When not on a job himself, he was often cooped up in his office, signing paper after paper, contract after contract, until his eyes burned and his wrist cramped. He had rolled his wrist out, hearing the bones cracking slightly from being in the same position for hours.

But that was hours ago. He’d be asleep by then, or at least tired. He was neither, right now. He shifted positions, stared out the small window across the room. The moonlight was surprisingly bright; it must have been a full moon.

He was about to move again when he heard the faint ringing of a clock tower bell. He counted; three bells. Kaz sighed and started to sit up. If he couldn’t get his mind to settle and sleep, he might as well occupy his body.

He got out of bed and threw on the coat he was wearing earlier, ignoring the buttons. He passed straight by his cane at the foot of the bed. The soft thump of it wasn’t needed for what he wanted to do. Ghezen forbid it wakes everybody up, especially Wylan, who’s probably the lightest sleeper of the group. His leg was stiff, his knee almost refusing to bend, but Kaz wanted to do this in secret. He always had.

When Kaz was younger, still living in Lij, he shared his bedroom with Jordie. It was often he couldn’t sleep, and he’d spent that time late at night either talking with Jordie, or watching him sleep. It was one of the only times, little Kaz thought, that his older brother looked most at peace. The work that they’d did was rough, and even once they left Lij and came to Ketterdam after Pa died, he continued this. It was his only source of continuity in the chaos that was his nine-year-old life. He’d watched as Jordie’s chest moved steadily up and down, eyebrows unfurrowed, mouth slightly open. His arm was protectively wrapped around Kaz’s shoulders as he slept, still never letting him out of his sight. Kaz tried to match his own breathing to Jordie’s, tried to sleep.

Now, almost ten years later, he does the same with his Crows.

Kaz opened the door to Jesper’s room as softly and slowly as he could. When he peered inside, he saw a sight that was no longer surprising. Jesper and Wylan were fast asleep in Jesper’s bed, curled into each other’s arms. Wylan’s head was tucked into Jesper’s neck, only his reddish curls showing at the back of his head. Jesper was smiling in his sleep. It was obvious for weeks that Jesper and Wylan had a thing for each other, and Kaz had known about it from the moment he’d seen Jesper lay his grey eyes on the young merchling.

Kaz limped over to Jesper’s desk and sat on the edge of it, his feet still touching the ground. He sat and observed the couple sleeping, breathing silently. It was nice to see them happy and peaceful after a long day. Wylan was always a ball of nerves, and seeing him not twitching or fidgeting with anxiety was always welcome. He stayed on his little perch until Jesper started to turn in his sleep slightly. When the sharpshooter opened his eyes briefly, Kaz was gone.

He moved down the hall towards Matthias’s room he’d found for him a while back. He could hear the blond’s snoring from Jesper’s room, so he knew he wouldn’t wake him up. Matthias was a heavy sleeper; almost nothing woke him up.

The dark-haired boy took his precautions, though. There wasn’t a desk near Matthias’s bed like in Jesper’s room, so he just leaned against the doorframe and studied him. His hair had grown since Hellgate, and now his blond locks fell more into his face and eyes. The way Matthias slept was a little less peaceful than the other two, but it was better than his normal bitterness and tension. It was a nice change, Kaz believed.

Not that he was one to talk. The Dregs always say that he’s also got a sour attitude. “All business, no fun,” they said. Kaz never said anything to refute it; he knew that they were right. So what?

Regardless, the tense quiet that Matthias usually held in his personality had melted away and been replaced with something relaxed, somewhat tranquil in Kaz’s eyes. He didn’t stay in here long; Matthias was tough, and the least of his worries.

Kaz had started to walk down towards Nina’s bedroom when he heard the floorboards above his head creak and groan. It was quiet, like someone light was walking above. His own footsteps on the top floor, he knew, were heavier and uneven, due to his cane. The lightness could really only be one person. Kaz bypassed his decision of checking on Nina and started climbing the staircase up to his top floor.

Inej was perched on his bedroom windowsill when he opened the door. She had her hands cupped to the crows that awaited food outside. She had let him hear her. Inej rarely made noise when she moved around, if at all. It was like she floated from room to room, building to building.

“You should be sleeping,” she murmured, her back still to Kaz.

“Shouldn’t you also be asleep?” He shut his door and sat on the edge of his bed. But she had a point. His eyes were starting to burn again from lack of sleep and his head hurt.

Inej brushed her hands clean of what the crows didn’t eat and turned around to face him. “Unlike someone I know, I actually have a pretty steady sleep schedule. You look exhausted, Kaz. When was the last time you slept past three bells?”

He didn’t answer. He didn’t have an answer to give her. She knew it had been long since Kaz slept soundly at night. The two of them just stayed still, glancing at one another, until Inej moved over slightly and patted the spot next to her. There was enough room for Kaz to sit beside her on the windowsill.

“Come here,” she said softly, “Look up.”

Kaz obliged, limping stiffly over to her. He lowered himself down beside her and followed her gaze up at the sky.

It was a clear night, abnormal for Ketterdam in the autumn. The stars seemed to be all visible tonight, making giant clumps of shining shapes and figures in the sky. It was honestly very beautiful.

“I don’t recall I’ve ever seen the sky this clear,” Kaz breathed, eyes widening. He was stunned.

Inej looked amused at his boyish pleasure at the sky. It made him look his age, for once. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

Kaz nodded. “This is what you get to look at every night.”

“Well, when the night is clear,” she admitted, “which doesn’t happen very often. But tonight, we got lucky. I figured this would help ease your mind some. You haven’t been sleeping well at all.”

He simply shrugged, gaze fixed on the night sky. “I’ve never been known to sleep well, Inej, you know that.”

Though he had said it matter-of-factly, Inej still gave him a sad smile before looking down at his hands. They were bare, pale and veiny from the cold air blowing inside from the open window. She moved her hand forward slightly.

He wasn’t looking, but he could feel the presence of her hand inching closer to his own. He took a silent, deep breath, and nodded once.

Despite her being outside, her palm was warm. Her touch was light, but it still sparked the feeling of water pooling in his lungs. It pulled his gaze away from the stars, and down at their hands.

“Is this okay?” Inej whispered.

Kaz didn’t move, didn’t speak. His eyes flickered up to look at Suli girl, and they gave away his answer.

Inej smiled again, and they continued to stare at the unblinking sky above their heads.


End file.
